If you take a look at the highest-grossing or most critically-acclaimed movies over the last decade, it'd be easy to assume that the romantic comedy is dead. While it's true that there are far fewer of them released than in earlier eras, the genre is alive and well. They don't perform well at the box office, and they often struggle to find audiences, but quality romantic comedies are still being made. 

If you're anything like me, you grew up on a steady diet of on-screen romances. Pretty Woman is one the first movies I can ever remember watching. While that film doesn't particularly hold up, it's still a cultural touchstone some 30 years after its release. 

I don't know if we'll be able to say the same for any romantic comedies released in the 2010s. Take a look at the five highest-grossing rom-coms of the last decade: 
​

1. Crazy Rich Asians - $174.5 million
2. Silver Linings Playbook – $132 million
3. Valentine’s Day – $110.4 million
4. Trainwreck – $110.2 million
5. Just Go With It – $103 million

​
​ I wouldn't even technically classify CRA as a rom-com because the central conflict isn't about falling in love. So many "women's movies" are unfairly lumped into this genre.

But I'm not here to argue semantics. None of the five listed above are especially memorable - can you quote anything from any of these films? Nothing is as iconic as the "Big mistake, huge!" scene from Pretty Woman. Nostalgia goggles are real, but I don't believe any of these films will be cemented in our collective psyche the way 90s rom-coms are. This may have more to do with the fracturing of a market that's more dedicated to niche interests than ever, but I digress.

In case you haven't kept up with modern rom-coms, or think they're all objectively terrible (as most modern rom-com trailers would have you believe!), here's a short list of romantic movies I've enjoyed recently:

​

Plus One
I've been a fan of Maya Erskine since her days on Hulu's criminally-underrated Casual. My fandom grew to stan levels once I saw Pen15. She's great, this movie is great, and everyone should watch everything she does. The premise is simple: two friends agree to go to a summer full of weddings together. This film is incredibly well-written, showcasing the chemistry between the leads instead of forcing unnecessary plot contrivances on viewers. 

This is my favorite kind of rom-com. Much like When Harry Met Sally, the appeal lies not in the will they/won't they back and forth, but in the pure charm of the couple. These are people you'd love to go on a double date with, who you'd quietly ship and cheer for when they get together. Too often, rom-coms center on the relationship itself, instead of the characters. The result is soulless (looking at you Long Shot). Plus One is a balm to every bad rom-com you've seen this decade. 

Isn't It Romantic
This movie looks bad. The poster is bad. The trailer is bad. Frankly, the cast isn't all that appealing. That's probably why it took me six months to see it. I skipped over it on planes, flipped past it on HBO, and generally turned my nose up at it for too long. 

Maybe my low expectations set me up for a better viewing experience. If you go in expecting this to be the second-coming of They Came Together (a movie I don't particularly love, but can appreciate for its commentary on the genre), you'll be disappointed. That said, I think Isn't it Romantic accomplishes many of the goals that I Feel Pretty tried and failed to reach. 
​
The people who wrote this film have an obvious love for the genre. That can go a long way for me. While not everyone can appreciate a movie so lovingly dedicated to the rom-coms of yesterday, I enjoyed the winks and nods at movies like The Wedding Planner and 13 Going on 30. Is this among the best rom-coms this decade? No. But it's a charming, pleasant two hours that made me appreciate Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine a little more than I expected to. 

Late Night
This isn't technically a rom-com, but it's too charming not to merit a paragraph or two. While the working woman chick flick is not one of my favorite subgenres, Late Night is surprisingly watchable. Its handling of the romance subplot is what I especially want to highlight here: it is truly a SUBPLOT. 

I went into this movie expecting the talk show premise to fall into the background of the main character's love story. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised (spoiler alert!) to find the male lead written out halfway through the film.  He sucks and doesn't deserve on-screen closure, and so he doesn't. It's a choice that made me admire Mindy Kaling's writing in a way I hadn't before (I'm irritated with her perpetual need to play out her idealized romance with BJ Novak on screen). 

Instead of relying on tired rom-com tropes, the film centers on the relationship between the two leads. Emma Thompson brings real empathy to a character that would never exist IRL (gotta love "liberal" Hollywood and its stubborn refusal to give women a chance on late night TV), and Mindy succeeds in a true bootstrap-fantasy (she gets her job writing for TV by entering a contest and earns the respect of her male colleagues by simply being good at her job). Still, their dynamic is fascinating and compulsively watchable. The men in this movie are truly unimportant, which is such a refreshing novelty in the chick flick genre. 
​
Again, maybe you can chalk this one up to my low expectations, but this movie genuinely charmed me. My overall take? PUT EMMA THOMPSON IN MORE THINGS.

Set it Up
I'm not going to pretend this is a good movie. Its 91 percent RT score is sort of rude to other, better movies. Still, I'm recommending it here because it's well-worth a hangover watch. Pour yourself a mimosa and cuddle up to the adorable chemistry of Lea Thompson's daughter and the second coming of Ferris Bueller's friend Cameron. 

It's a tale as old as time: two ambitious workplace rivals come together to set up their bosses in the hopes of gaining a little more free time. Never mind that the managers (played horrifically by Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu, who does her best with the bad material) are annoying and frankly kind of of obnoxious to watch. Just check Instagram while they're on screen. The true magic lies in the charisma of the leads.
​
Glen Powell and Zoey Deutch will be everywhere in the next few years, and it's cool to watch them stumble through an otherwise middling movie. They start, of course, as enemies, but by the end, you're shipping it hard. People really loved Someone Great and Always Be My Maybe, but for my Netflix subscription money (free! Honestly, who pays for Netflix in 2019?), this rom-com is more my speed.

Rom-Coms to Skip
Here are some quick anti-recommendations for those of you trying to weed through the garbage:
​
​Long Shot - God, I hated this movie. Maybe because I wanted to love it. The leads have no chemistry, the writing is bad, and the tone is super strange. Seth Rogen wears that dumb jacket the entire movie for no real reason. Yo Seth, let your wife write your next rom-com! (Everyone go watch For a Good Time, Call right this instant!)

​Falling Inn Love - Christina Milian is adorable, but she can't save this boring, dumb movie. This new trend of Hallmark/Lifetime-style romance is tricky, but the best ones lean into the so-bad-it's-good vibe. This one is just stupid.

I’ve finally finished watching Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It’s something I’ve dreaded doing – the show has been a constant source of joy and catharsis in my life since it premiered in 2015. My life has changed a lot since then, and like a lot of powerful pop culture artifacts in my life, the end of the show feels like the end of an era. Just as the release of Deathly Hallows marked the end of my high school days, this feels like the end of my 20s (though I’ve technically been a thirty-something for a few months now!)

The best pieces of culture make us feel less alone in the world. They also challenge us, comment on their medium and force us to confront truths about our lives. Crazy Ex does all of this while making me laugh, cry and, at times, cringe. While imperfect, the show has set a bar for the degree of empathy that TV creators can and should display for both their characters and their fans.

For the uninitiated, CEG follows an ambitious lawyer who throws her career out the window to pursue love at all costs – but the situation is a lot more nuanced than that. The title is tongue-in-cheek; the lead, Rebecca, argues that the term is sexist in the theme song. This meta, self-referential style isn’t for everyone, but for anyone interested in dissecting tropes analyzing the way human behavior is portrayed in the media, CEG is a joy. It’s also a musical, so it’s easy to see why the show consistently struggled to find its audience. CEG isn’t for everyone, which is precisely why it is so successful.

Take, for instance, my favorite sequence of the show: Rebecca’s self-hating, show-stopping performance of a song called “You Stupid Bitch.” “You ruined everything, you stupid bitch” she sings to herself. “You're just a lying little bitch who ruins things/And wants the world to burn/ Bitch/You're a stupid bitch/And lose some weight.”

The lyrics are harsh, but evoke the same kind of emotional reaction as when Hannah from HBO’s Girls tells her boyfriend how much she hates herself. “Any mean thing someone’s gonna think of to say about me, I’ve already said to me, about me, probably in the last half hour." (The rest of that show is mediocre, and Lena Dunham sucks, but that line has stuck with me for years, so kudos?) This kind of emotional self-flagellation is so rarely explored in pop culture, but it’s incredibly common in most people I know.

CEG’s willingness to explore the darkest parts of oneself is what I’ll miss most about the show. While there are plenty of movies and TV shows about the corruption of man, the temptations humans face, and the nature of evil, very few have the nuance and empathy necessary to dive into a character’s self-esteem. Rebecca is mentally ill, which certainly contributes to her degree of self-loathing, but her feelings are universal. We’ve all felt frustrated with ourselves at one point or another. When life gets tough, the tough beat themselves up.

The amount of relief I feel when watching “You Stupid Bitch” is palpable even after my hundredth viewing. The idea that someone as beautiful and talented as Rachel Bloom (co-creator and star) could struggle with the same self-loathing I do makes me feel a little less alone in the world. What’s more, the sequence helps remind me just how ridiculous the whole practice is – being mean to yourself doesn’t accomplish anything, and the self-indulgence necessary for such a pity party is seriously laughable.

I’ve felt very alone recently. In spite of my wonderful husband, caring friends and a family that loves me, depression and self-loathing have alienated me from a lot of human connection. At my worst, my social anxiety makes me feel like a forgetful lead in a play where everyone knows their lines but me. The idea that people are indulging me – are disappointed in me, are laughing at me, are only keeping me around to be nice – is overwhelming and alienating.

CEG helps ease those feelings. In spite of its narrative issues, the show has always maintained a consistent, nuanced and empathetic tone for both viewers and characters alike. That Rebecca can spiral and (spoiler alert) end up in jail while not losing friends in the process might be a little fantastical. That idea, though, that we can mess up and still be deserving of love? It’s not revolutionary, but through the lens of CEG, it’s changed my life. For that, I’ll be forever grateful.

YouTube is a weird place. I was a sophomore in high school when it launched, a time when I was more attuned to Pete Wentz’s blog than I was to the emerging vlogosphere. Sure, I eventually crowded around my college roommate’s laptop for the most viral of videos and watched many a makeup tutorial, but generally speaking, I didn’t find my YouTube niche until recently. It’s the perfect platform for insomniacs.

I can’t remember how I stumbled on Kevin Perjurer’s Defunctland, but it’s the channel that launched a thousand hours of YouTube for me. The series offers a deep dive into the history, secrets, and lore behind beloved theme parks. Specifically, Defunctland offers a peek behind the curtain of rides that once captured the hearts of children but are no longer around.

His video on Busch Garden’s Big Bad Wolf, for example, outlines the history of the rollercoaster, and ultimately, why it was replaced. The Wolf was my first coaster. Summers spent in its queue ignited a lifelong love of theme parks. For 12+ minutes, Kevin shows off old Busch Gardens commercials, details the construction of the ride and explores why it was ultimately replaced by Verbolten (an admittedly better ride – and I say this as a Big Bad Wolf stan).

Not content to rehash Wikipedia articles, Kevin is a journalist’s YouTuber. His research is thorough, and unlike many other theme park YouTubers, he maintains a relatively unbiased perspective despite his obvious passion for the material. My favorite part of any Defunctland video is the footage he manages to dig up of old commercials, family home videos, and promotional materials.

At 17:25 of his Drachen Fire video, for instance, Kevin features an old clip from E! News. The entertainment journalism equivalent of a press release, the piece features a hokey, sarcastic TV host exploring Busch Gardens Williamsburg. It instantly transports me back to being eight years old, flipping between VH1 music videos (waiting for NSYNC to come on, obviously) and whatever was playing on E! At the time. Millennials get shit for being overly nostalgic, but this glimpse back into the sights and sounds of our youth – no matter how objectively terrible the cultural artifacts might be – is incredibly addictive.
​
Nostalgia isn’t great for sleep, though. I could spend hours pouring through old stuff from my childhood. Defunctland succeeds as a sleepytime tool by blending just the right of interesting material with stuff I’m exceptionally bored by. I love theme parks, and tricking my brain into watching a piece on Busch Gardens is enough to stop it from ruminating on whatever is keeping me up at night.

Once Kevin has my attention, he’ll inevitably turn to the boring stuff: companies behind the coasters, discussing the differences in designs and styles for which they’re known, or discussion of corporate politics and decision-making. Narrating in his signature baritone, Kevin sounds like he’s using a voice changer to hide his identity. Somehow, though, it’s soothing rather than creepy. I’m not big on ASMR, but I can turn on a Defunctland video at any time of day or night and feel instantly more relaxed.

The amount of work that goes into creating the channel is admirable, and every time I finish a Defunctland video, I’m left in awe of how many man hours must be spent digging up footage and digging through news archives. At its best, YouTube is a haven for unbridled enthusiasm. A haven for passionate creators who are eager to share both their knowledge and their fervor, it’s the perfect platform for material that might have otherwise been lost to the ages. As my husband put it best when watching his first episode of Defunctland, “this is some nerd shit.”
​
Interest level: ZZZ (out of 5)

I reliably fall asleep through 90 percent of Defunctland videos, but every now and then, the content will hit my precise brand of nostalgia and keep me up later than intended.

Narration: ZZZZZ

Some YouTube commenters have expressed frustration with Kevin’s voice, believing he uses voice changing software to hide his identity. While his voice is unique, this theory is dumb (why would anyone want to hide their voice in a series as benign as Defunctland?) and honestly, I can’t imagine it narrated any other way.

Aesthetics: ZZZZ

Old commercials are fun, but you could realistically “watch” the series with your eyes closed and miss very little – making it the perfect channel to drift off to.

Get started with Kevin’s video on Action Park, a NJ theme park so dangerous that Johnny Knoxville made a movie about it.

When I got engaged last summer, I was hit with a million suggestions at once. Everyone in my life had a venue to suggest, a caterer to use, or a DJ to hire. When my best friend Alyssa suggested a graphic novel about getting married, I filed the suggestion away with the others.

When I finally got around to reading the book, I kicked myself for not immediately running to the bookstore when Alyssa initially suggested it. By far, "Something New" is the best book I read in 2016. (I know a lot of people don't consider graphic novels books, but they're so wrong!)

"Something New" is artist Lucy Knisley's engagement/wedding memoir. She tells the backstory of her romance with her husband, their engagement and the ensuing months of wedding planning. There's no real plot here. In the wrong hands, this could have been a structural disaster. Instead, Knisley expertly weaves together cute stories, wedding planning advice and her opinions on the modern wedding industrial complex.

I've only read a handful of graphic novels, but Knisley's work is quite different from most others I've read. Structure - or lack thereof - has something to do with it. Even Knisley's fictional work has a meandering quality that I love. 
​
But part of why "Something New" succeeds is because Knisley allows readers into such an intimate part of her life. She candidly the expresses existential angst I think most of us experience when faced with an eternity spent with just one person. To see one's own anxieties on page, in full color, is refreshing. The world feels less lonely when I read Lucy Knisley's stuff.

I'm not art critic, but her drawings can't be undervalued in such a visual medium. The bright, fun images are incredibly engaging and say so much without having to spell things out for the viewer. Reading her stuff this year has really turned me into a fangirl - follow her on Instagram, she's a treasure. 

Successful art in any form makes people feel things. I knew I loved this book when I found myself crying over Knisley's wedding as if it were my own. And though I've got another nine months to go before mine, I feel like "Something New" was a wonderful preview of all the exciting, funny, insane times ahead of me. 

I don't think I know a single person IRL who is watching this show, and it's a damn shame. Because "Insecure" is easily one of my favorite television shows. And with just eight half hour episodes in its first season, there's really no excuse not to binge it in one sitting.
​

"Insecure" has been described as the black "Girls," and I get the comparison. Sort of. Both shows follow millenial women struggling with work, friendships and their love lives. But the comparison mostly ends there.

"Insecure" is set in LA, with the main character working at a non-profit rather than...what does Lena Dunham's character even do besides fight with her friends? Anyway, Issa's apartment could be any one of my friends' places. Her boyfriend works at Best Buy as he job hunts. The show is much more grounded in reality than "Girls" ever was or will be. The writing is better and doesn't try as hard to convince you of its politics. The cast of "Insecure" is inherently more likable, too. You root for them more.

Of course, that doesn't mean Issa is any less complicated than Hannah Horvath - she's just not as clueless. Issa's main story line this season revolves around her relationship with her long-term boyfriend. He's working hard - but failing - to find a steady job. And she loves him, unquestionably, but is a bit bored and frustrated with the relationship - and she's all too willing to get close to another man. It's a story that manages to feel fresh despite of its familiarity. 

The acting on this show is fantastic, too. There's a scene about halfway through the season where Issa is privately celebrating a hookup with the "one that got away" when she sees a soap dispenser that reminds her of her boyfriend - the one she just cheated on. The look on her face says a million things all at once. A less talented actress might have made this feel hokey, but I just wanted to hug her. There are so many wonderful little moments that make this show stick with you long after you've marathoned the entire season.

The friendships in "Insecure" are the best part (well, the soundtrack is pretty solid, too - Solange Knowles served as a music consultant) of the show. Molly, Issa's best friend, is the kind of nuanced character Lena Dunham probably wishes Marnie could be. 

Molly is a successful attorney, a great friend, beautiful, but can't seem to hold down a date. As the episodes progress, we learn why. This is no Kate Hudson rom com about an unbelievably gorgeous woman struggling to find someone to date her. This is a multilayered look at why some people are so, so picky - and what made them that way.

HBO is a generally pretty white channel, and some might see "Insecure" as niche TV. But the show is more about friendship between women than it is about black culture. That's not to say that "Insecure" downplays the blackness of its characters. Instead, it offers an authentic portrayal of a young black woman - and her race is just one aspect of her identity. So if you're a white person worried that this show isn't "for you," relax. Just because the main character doesn't look like you doesn't mean "Insecure" isn't relatable. And so, so good.

​I'm not one for family relationship dramas. Shows like Brothers and Sisters, Parenthood and The Fosters are just too melodramatic for my tastes. I'll take Malcolm in Middle or Arrested Development any day. I only got into Gilmore Girls for the ridiculousness of characters like Paris and Kirk. So This is Us was never a show I planned on watching.

But I consume mass amounts of television, have followed Mandy Moore since "Candy" and am solidly, forever #teamjess, so I figured I'd give the pilot a shot. It turned out to be one of the most absorbing hours of television I watched in 2016.

Promos for This is Us showcased several apparently disparate sets of people: a couple expecting their first child, a businessman looking for his biological father, an overweight woman searching for love. And the first episode fills in some of the blanks - Mandy Moore is pregnant with triplets, not just one baby. The businessman was adopted by a supportive family, but he always felt like an outsider. The overweight woman has a twin brother. Somehow, I failed to see the show's big twist until it was happening.

Obviously, in writing about the pilot for This is Us, I have to write about spoilers. Because the twist is what makes the episode such a stand out in my mind. If you haven't watched it by now, I'm gonna assume you're not going to care about being spoiled.

Turns out, Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia aren't just wearing hipster outfits, they're living in the 1970's. Viewers were watching two separate time periods (I should've known something was amiss in Westworld!).  Mandy gives birth to two of the three main characters - and when her third baby is stillborn, the couple adopts a third child. 

On their own, none of these story lines are especially interesting. Again, I'm not into melodrama. But the twist had me riveted. Perhaps it's because shows like this rarely feature such unique formats, I didn't see the big twist coming at all. The pilot stands beautifully on its own, a near perfect short film I'd recommend to everyone.

Future episodes of the show haven't grabbed me like the pilot, though. The alternating past and present story lines started feeling gimmicky after the second episode. I'm not sure how the season has fared, since I lost interest relatively quickly. Still, though, This is Us deserves commendation for breaking the mold and creating one of the best hours of television this year.

​I'm a Survivor superfan, but in the 400 hours of my life I've spent watching the show (dear God, someone stop me), I don't think I've ever shed a tear over it. That changed a few weeks ago, during the finale of Survivor's 33rd season. Survivor: Millenials vs. Gen X was full of fun characters, controversial strategy and of course, drama. Drama is pretty much a requirement for reality TV. And while I maintain that Survivor is one of the reality shows with the least manufactured drama, there's no denying producers do all they can to heighten tension.

Adam's win, though, was perhaps the realest moment I've ever seen on television. The 25-year-old homeless shelter manager played an imperfect game, but his victory will go down in reality TV's hall of fame. 

Adam originally went out for the show with his mom, hoping to earn spots on the Blood vs. Water themed season a few years back. When she was diagnosed with lung cancer, though, he was emboldened to play alone, as a morale booster for his family. A fan since childhood, playing - and winning - was a dream come true. His mom, though, passed an hour after he returned home. 

Watching a person's highest and lowest moments unfold on live television was almost too much to handle.

When I heard Charmian Carr had passed away, I immediately went to Youtube to watch this scene. "The Sound of Music" is one of my all-time favorite movies. I even traveled to Salzburg last summer for a bicycle tour around the shooting locations of the film, including the famous gazebo where the scene takes place. Though the gazebo was not actually on the grounds of the home where the movie was filmed, it retained a magic all its own. It was a little like being in the presence of a celebrity.

There's something so incredibly magical about this number. The lighting, the dress, the choreography - it all works in tandem to make you feel like you're falling in love. And you do fall, a little. It's hard not to be charmed by the scene. The best kinds of art make you feel something, and this song makes me feel like I, too, am falling in love. It's probably Taylor Swift's "rosebud," the kind of song she'll spend her entire career trying to top. If this song were a food, it would be cotton candy. It's sweet, light and airy, and dissipates long before you have a chance to get bored. 

But don't mistake me: this number has far more substance than spun sugar. At the surface, this song reinforces gender roles of the time (the late 30s or the mid 60s, either way). Rolf the Nazi (Y'all haters lay off Jess Mariano, obviously Rory could do much worse) sings: "Totally unprepared are you
/To face a world of men/Timid and shy and scared are you/Of things beyond your kin/You need someone older and wiser/Telling you what to do/I am seventeen going on eighteen/I'll take care of you."

But read into the scene even slightly and you'll see Liesl holds all the power in the situation. She knows what she wants. She's the one leaning in for a kiss, pursuing him throughout the song. It's the older, allegedly wiser Rolf who is hesitant and nervous. She plays into his machismo, letting him think he's the one in charge. But we - and Liesl - know different. This subtle wink makes the scene all the more charming. Feminist hero? Maybe not. But Liesl is no innocent rose. 

In a way, this scene embodies what I love so much about "The Sound of Music" overall. It's pretty and fun and romantic and whimsical. But while you're getting swept away by the beauty of the setting and the incredible soundtrack, the movie diverts into something more substantive. Less fun, maybe. Certainly not as captivating. Pretty much everyone agrees that the second half of "The Sound of Music" is inferior in nearly every way when compared to the first. But that first half is so enchanting, you're willing to revisit it any time. In that way, it really is like the rush of first love.

I love European travel. Summer doesn't feel complete if I'm not throwing a backpack together and crashing in a cheap, air-conditioning free hostel. The food, the sightseeing, the culture - it's the best. But my favorite part is always climbing aboard a train to my next destination. There's something so soothing about it. You're comfortable, you're moving forward in your trip, you're off to the next amazing place. And the scenery is usually pretty good, too. Last year, my journey from Salzburg to Innsbruck was so beautiful I was nearly brought to tears.
​

I also have a bit of an insomnia problem, so I'm constantly on the hunt for quietly entertaining television. For example, Bob Ross is interesting enough to keep my mind off my worries but boring enough to put me to sleep. My living room at 2 AM is a sacred space, and there's a real intimacy between me and Bob at this point. But all goods thing must come to an end - I've probably slept through every episode of "The Joy of Painting" at this point.

The search for my next insomnia hero - and my love for European rail travel - brought me to "Slow TV: Train Ride Bergen to Oslo."

It's outside of the parameters of what TV is traditionally defined as. There's no plot, no characters, no music or dialogue. Just a train heading to Oslo. For 7 hours. Sometimes, you spend several unsettling minutes staring into the darkness of a tunnel (like that time with that creepy guy, RITE MEGAN?) the train passes through. Mostly, you're treated to the majestic Norwegian countryside and the occasional voiceover reminding passengers about the snacks in the cafe car.  

The program isn't entertaining. The visuals are downright boring. My favorite part has to be the audio. There's something incredibly hynotic about the sound of a train in motion. Maybe it transports me to a place where I can pretend I'm safely, comfortably and excitingly headed to the next stop on my backpacking trip. Or maybe I just enjoy the repetitive rush of the train on the tracks as it blocks out any potential noise from waking me up.

I don't just use Slow TV to fall asleep. Working from home this summer, it's been really comforting to throw on in the background while I write or answer emails. Slow TV is the senior cat of entertainment. It doesn't ask much of you, just wants to sit on your lap and hang out. It's the diametric opposite of something like "Veep," with its blink and you'll miss it references and jokes. Both have value, but Slow TV feels really special.

Not into trains? You're in luck. There are 11 different episodes of Slow TV, most of which are much shorter than this 7 hour ride. National Knitting Night is intriguing in a way that takes you back to sitting on your parent's lap listening to their boring adult conversation. There's 4 solid hours of knitting talk - in Norweigian. I personally foresee myself using the Firewood Morning, Evening and Night episodes a lot this fall.

Is Slow TV the new ASMR? I'm not sure. But there's a whole new industry cropping up around the idea. This 3 hour video of people at a library just makes me feel like I'm at work on a boring day (though the Man Bun juggling at 45 minutes in is pretty exciting). Maybe that's the point.

​Go into Slow TV with your expectations tempered. You're not there to be entertained. You're there to be a fly on the wall.